Happy Thursday, Friends! If you know a quilter or two, you would probably have experienced first hand the generosity and love quilters have for others, including strangers with whom they have never met.
Today, Leslie from Pennsylvania is sharing with us her “quilt to bless” story. Enjoy!
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First off I want to thank Wendy for allowing me to write and tell you of my recent endeavors.
If you are an avid quilter like me, you most likely have done items for charity. It warms my heart when I think of my charity quilts, and the people that have been blessed by them. Babies in Romania and here at home, families in Japan, girls in Africa, senior citizens, and more. So, when I saw on the local news a few months ago that the Mennonite Central Committee was desperate for quilts to send to refugees, I knew I had to act.
I found out that my local drop off point was happy to just get quilt tops that they could tie. Perfect for me, due to some health issues. I got right to work sorting and cutting fabric from my stash. I started with older fabric I thought would blend together and then I started buying fabric on sale to use. My most recent find was at the Hershey Quilt Show. I purchased 2, 10 yard rolls of one yard cuts, of beautiful civil war fabric. They were $35.00 each. Yes….$35.00.
I can’t really appreciate what it is like to lose everything and have to run for my life. I find myself often praying and even crying for the recipients as I quilt. On their end, the quilts often become cherished emblems of love, symbols of hope and the fact that they are not forgotten.
When my family and I went to drop off my tops and the tops of a few friends, Connie gave us a tour of the Ephrata Pa. facility and the work they do. We were amazed. There are many ways people can help MCC reach out to refugees around the world from baby blankies and kits of all kinds, to quilts and quilt tops.
The only problem with this charity project… it gets in your blood. At least it has mine. I am sometimes haunted by the need to pour into these people and help the MCC meet the needs. I hope you will consider reaching out and helping. I slipped my last top in the mail….it was easy as that.
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Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your story. Please feel free to share about the charity quilts you make (as well as the organizations) in the comment section — I am sure some of us would like to check out your charity quilt organization(s) . I appreciate you stopping by, Dear Friends! I shall catch up with you later! Hugs to you all.
Ivory Spring 